MP toy makers fight the odds

Budnighat's artisan community blames government for its precarious situation.

Budnighat, a village in the Vindhya forest range in Madhya Pradesh, is probably second in India after Chennapatna of Karnataka to run a rare small-scale toy-making industry known as "kharad shilp".

However, despite facing a stiff competition from the manufacturers of modern and inexpensive toys, the traditional toy makers are crafting survival stories by selling their wares.

Legend has it that Tipu Sultan, the 18th century Muslim ruler of Mysore, had introduced this Persian art of making kitchenware and toys in India. However, nobody knows how and when it blossomed into a full-fledged industry in Budnighat.

But the artisan community fears that due to the callous attitude of the government it may soon have to close down its 100-year-old trade.

Till 1999, the artisans made enough money and didn't think of venturing out of Budnighat, which is also the homeland of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. But rising prices of raw material and bureaucratic hurdles forced the next generation of artisans to take up jobs in private firms or seek higher education in professional colleges.

Succumbing to pressure from artisans, the state forest department agreed to auction Dudhi (botanically known as Wrightia Tinctoria) and Haldu (Adina Cordifolia) wood from January this year. There was a ban on cutting Dudhi and Haldu wood till 1999.

"The department has allowed artisans to participate in the auction. Now they will have sufficient stock," said a forest department officer of the Budni forest circle, 70 km from Bhopal.

Committees for forest preservation in the area and artisans have entered a deal to identify a forest of their choice and urged the forest department to auction it.

But artisans are contradicting the forest department's claim. "We are rarely informed about the auctions. The department organises Dudhi auctions abruptly. Thus we come back home empty-handed, having wasted money in arranging transport," said an artisan.

Apart from the thin supply of raw material, marketing is a big task for Budni artisans. The Madhya Pradesh Handloom and Handicraft Development Corporation, an independent body to promote and provide marketing support to artisans, does not have concrete plans. As a result, artisans have chosen the busiest railway crossing in the vicinity.

"We arrange space for Budni artisans at Bhopal Haat (a common market place for traditional artisans). We also encourage them to participate in international trade fairs, Delhi Haat and other places," said Ashish Sitha, an official of the corporation.

He also said that a common facility centre was being planned in Budnighat at an approximate investment of Rs 25 lakh to provide facilities of tools, dyes and designs.

The corporation recently held a skill upgrade programme on new designs and use of natural soft colours for Budni artisans at Chennapatna, Tamil Nadu.

But artisans are not interested in upgrading the existing designs and using natural colours. "It will increase our cost of production and nobody wants to take the risk. The case of Chennapatna artisans is different. They have contacts with exporters," said Vinod Sharma, president, Vishwakarma Wooden Craft Cluster Club. Sharma is trying hard to make the craft sell.

"A visit to the Dubai International Trade Fair fetched me Rs 40,000. But I lost business at home during those days," said Kamal Sharma, an artisan.

Besides thin supply of raw material and inadequate marketing support, frequent power cuts during peak working hours have also made wood processing difficult. Further, rising prices of chemical dyes and wax have compounded the problem and forced artisans to hike prices of artifacts.

"Power cuts affect our work. We have requested state officials to resolve the problem but nothing has been done so far. How long can we survive like this?" complains 55-year-old Purushottam Lal, who is engaged in the business since his childhood.

Unlike early artisans who used harvested lacquer syrup as a protective coating on their artifact, Budni artisans depend on wax, which comes from Gondia, in Maharashtra, and Rajasthan, for colouring and coating their products. Around 50 kg wax is consumed per month in coating and colouring the products.

The total turnover of the artisans of this village is around Rs 1-2 crore per annum while their counterparts at Chennapatna village are earning in dollars.

The various stages of manufacturing include procuring, seasoning and cutting wood into the desired shapes, pruning and carving the toys, applying the colours and finally polishing the finished product. However, the hands that perform these actions are gradually becoming weak.